aterat | February Logs!

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February Logs!

Who; Llewellyn and lots of people! You! Yes, you!
What; Open top level for the Cherishment event & Closed Top Levels for: Ivy, Tommy and Enis! (Want one? Let me know! <3)
Where; All over!
When; Through February!
Warnings; None! I will update if something comes up though!

( I can also do personalized starters if you want, just let me know either on Discord: WhimsicalSpook#8219 or Plurk:

whimsicalspook or at his plotting post!)

Not all languages are spoken. - Open to All!

Llewellyn was rather embracing this celebration. It was a lovely idea, really... It reminded him a bit of Valentine's day in his world, but somewhat nicer in a few ways...

He'd never really taken part in his world, never having had a reason to. Even if he had... It would have been complicated and difficult to explain at best. So, maybe he was looking at it with a more positive outlook based on the fact that he could openly celebrate it and enjoy himself as he was without stress or need for secrecy.

So when the man wasn't working one of his two jobs or spending time with his husband, he was out and about.

Llewellyn was often eager to offer some thoughts or opinions to those around him. After all, he had a particular knack for languages and Floriography was a personal favourite of his.

So if someone was trying to pick something out and seemed to be uncertain of their choice, wanting something with a little more thought than simply purchasing the first thing they saw... He gently interjected with some friendly recommendations. Something for a friend? A collection of Zinnia, apple blossom, pansies, and Eucalyptus tied together with a teal chiffon ribbon. Something more romantic? Yes, Llewellyn probably had suggestions there too...

He was a meddler at heart, after all, and was very prone to trying to help nudge people in the right direction. It had worked well enough for George Crabtree in his world, so clearly he knew what he was doing...

Right? Right.

Network/Wildcard: You are also welcome to reach out to him over the network for questions too, if you think your character wouldn't approach him directly.

Get Ivy out of the corner challenge START! - Closed to Ivy

It had been a while since he’d actually seen a particular vampire friend of his around, though to be fair, that might have something to do with how he tended to get during the winter months. He wasn’t fond of how dark the evenings got, and the cold always sunk in rather deep, even with a good winter coat. Then January had been… Complicated between the crystals and Enis showing up. So he’d been more than a little distracted, and supposed they just kept missing one another around the city.

Llewellyn had rather hoped that perhaps it meant she was busy with Harry… By which, he meant busy getting closer to the man and not continuing to make herself second guess her feelings and his. Someone should probably tell him to stop nudging people like a busybody, but it was a habit… If he thought his friends could be happy, he couldn’t help but try to encourage it.

Still, he’d been meaning to call or pop in to check on her… Have her out for a coffee and a walk around to catch up.

So without much forethought, the detective crosses the courtyard between buildings and heads up the steps to the Green Apartments. Once up to the second floor, he leaned against the door frame and reached up to knock. Maybe he should have texted first, as would be polite, but he sometimes forgot those things… But at least this whole celebration had given him a good excuse to reach out to friends, of which Ivy counted as, which was why he had something tucked under his arm for her.

And it wasn't like the distance between where he stayed and here had been particularly large if she wasn't in.

Comparing one world to another - Closed to Tommy

This time of year was definitely... A hazard. Yes, the crystal rains had stopped (thank goodness) and nothing solid was raining down on them anymore... But Llewellyn wasn't particularly good on his feet.

A particular friend from the Sphere knew that very well, having given him skating lessons.

But slippery cobblestones were not the friend of a man with poor balance who tended to walk fast, especially not one who had bags of supplies (ribbons purchased from Rhy's shop for tying bouquets that he intended to make and teach people to, along with snacks and some things needed for Pretzel) under one arm and a pretzel (the food) in another hand. So more than a few people got to witness him occasionally losing his footing and needing to catch himself on a wall.

But he was “Oh- er… Pardon!” He uttered at one point, nearly sliding into someone, only to awkwardly spin a little with a wobble and an arm moving for the wall of a nearby building to halt himself again. He lost the pretzel, sadly, but his attention was more on the person he'd almost run into. It didn't take him long to recognize Tommy, his expression turning apologetic. "Tommy! Hello, always nice to run into a friend. Well- not literally, of course."

When a plan backfires - Closed to Enis

The detective wasn’t entirely sure what to make of this ‘Cherishment’ event, beyond the fact that it was clearly this world’s version of Valentine’s Day. It was February, everyone was abuzz with sentimental words and gestures... At one time, he might’ve found it a bit tiring and grown a bit despondent, but this year he was actually rather enjoying it and embracing the idea.

Llewellyn had been out and about a lot in the city, busier with helping with floral arrangements than his other work for a change. Making bouquets with various meanings based on his knowledge, depending on the person’s needs.

He was between one point and another, absentmindedly wondering if he should purchase something from that new chocolatier that had opened. He was starting to feel a bit snackish, after all... Though he was hesitant, given he’d heard that some of their selections had... odd side-effects.

One thing he hadn’t considered was that someone might have already been there, with particular plans in mind.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

“Today will serve as a reminder for that, then.” He responded with a tilt of his head before letting her lead on. Eyes wandering the streets around them as they made their way towards the market. “Not a large coincidence.” He added to her comment, “I am, uh- rather prone to forgetting to pick things up. So… Eventually things pile up into a list. Today might save me from that.” Probably not, but it was an excuse to help her out with picking things up.

“I’m not a particularly picky sort, really?” The detective responded to her question with a small shrug. “As long as it’s something hot, I’ll be happy. So I think it depends on if you want something to sit down and eat, or if you want to eat while looking around.”

Llewellyn hummed a little, brow rising at her insistence that it wasn’t a date. “No…? Still, worse places for one, I’d think.” He smiled a little. “But my mistake, I suppose.” It sounded like just the kind of place Harry would take someone on a date. He’d seen how awkward Harry could be in a formal setting, after all. A pub was easy to picture him in over a fancier establishment. He wanted to ask more, but he wasn’t going to just hound her with questions before they’d even gotten to the market.

He blinked a little in surprise as her eyes changed. “O-oh, well. Yes, I expect that’s true.” He gestured a little as he continued, “You probably have an easier time seeing trouble coming than I would.” Which was generally what had him on edge in the evenings… Too much bad happened around him after dark.

Laughing a little awkwardly, “Maybe a little? I’d hate for two of my friends to be at odds with each other.”

"Evidently so." There was a quality to her voice that was almost teasing, though it wasn't entirely possible to place it. "How long do your lists usually get?" Wait, did she even actually want the answer to that. She waved a hand dismissively. "Forget I asked. We can just grab something from a stall so we look around." It seemed more productive that way.

"It was just a meeting between friends, like this," she insisted a bit too defensively. There probably wasn't a reason to be so defensive, but she couldn't help it. The weirdest part of it all was that she'd enjoyed the food and her time with Harry, despite her many attempts to deny it.

"I can see in the dark," she said with a strange laugh. "There are some benefits to being a living vampire." Plenty of negatives but there had to be some positives to compensate for it, right?

"Oh? Whose side would you take?"

Yes, she probably didn’t need to know how long the list could get. Nor did she want to see the list, that usually ended up being written on whatever scraps of paper he had on him and shoved into his notebook… He almost answered though, before she waved a hand and he closed his mouth with an awkward expression. He rolled with it though, if only because the idea of grabbing something from a food stall or cart was definitely more interesting than his list-making. “That sounds perfect to me- I believe there’s one that does these excellent little hand pies, if you like.” Failing that, the default he would come up with was unsurprisingly pretzels.

“I could point out several ways in which this differs? You went to a pub, we’re wandering the market… I’m helping you find orange juice. It doesn’t sound like he helped you with that.” Another difference being that Harry and she clearly felt something for one another, where he was simply fond of her as a friend. “Uh- but I expect that’s not what you mean.” He responded with a small tilt of his head. Yes, she was clearly still resisting the idea that maybe this was genuine and she could have something with Harry. Made him a bit sad, really…

Positives were good, and Llewellyn couldn’t deny that was certainly one. “I thought you might. I, on the contrary, can’t really see much of anything. Though a colleague of mine created these odd night vision things. A bit bulky but… Interesting.” He responded, going on a slightly random tangent. Probably because he was trying to not bombard her with more questions quite yet.

The detective rubbed the back of his neck with a clumsy laugh. “Sides? Mm… I think I’d more likely be a neutral party to mediate. Although, I suppose my objectivity could be called into question if I’m not careful with my answers.” That would be terribly awkward…

"That'd be good enough, though I'll hold you responsible if they're bad," she said with a little smirk. Knowing him they probably wouldn't be bad, he seemed to take his food rather seriously.

"I thought you had your own things to find too," she teased. "I'll have to keep in mind that it's not a date if someone helps you with your shopping." That wasn't the point he was trying to make, but it was the one she was going to take from it. "You'd think if he really wanted it to be a date, he'd ask me out again." Was she disappointed? Maybe a bit. Though, it was for the best really. She didn't particularly deserve to be happy.

"I'm disappointed you already suspected I could. It takes away the mystery of a being a vampire." Aren't they supposed to at least have the benefit of being mysterious? "Bulky doesn't seem useful if you're actually working in the dark." Unless he didn't need to move around quickly.

"And now I'm double disappointed you wouldn't take my side. I'm more practical. I'd think you'd appreciate that."

Llewellyn smiled a little. “I’m not in the habit of recommending bad food, but I suppose there is a first time for everything.” He responded as he led her towards the cart. Food was very important, and he was well known for finding good places to eat and ending up on a first name basis with those who ran the place.

“Well, yes I do…” He responded over his shoulder with an awkward expression, “So it’s more like two friends assisting one another with errands.” He responded with a small hum. Though as she continued, Llewellyn felt a small frown creep into his expression. Harry hadn’t asked her out again since then? Had the first dinner gone that poorly? “He hasn’t? Have you uh- spoken to him again since then?”

Llewellyn shrugged his shoulders lightly though, “Oh, I’m sure there are plenty of other things that make you mysterious, Ivy. I assure you, there are probably entire books worth of knowledge I wouldn’t even think to presume about vampires.”Especially when there were so many differences between the kind of vampire Ivy was and those in stories. Most things were educated guesses, and being able to see better at night just made sense given they seemed to be more active at night.

He raised his hands in a mock placating manner, “I can’t deny that you are.” Sorry, Harry. “Why do you think I’m concerned that even my mm… neutral stance would be called into question depending on my answers if I tried to mediate.”

"I hope this isn't the first time," she said with a chuckle.

"You know what they say about curiosity." She let out a brief sigh and then shrugged. "We've spoken here and there." Which wasn't exactly a lie and wasn't exactly the truth either.

"We don't usually like books being written about us. Unless they're the kind that get everything wrong," she said with a shrug. "Which is usually the case thankfully." If humans had even a bit of knowledge about them all it'd been a lot harder when they all came out of the shadows.

"Would you try to mediate?"

“We shall soon see.” He responded with a grin, handing over some coin and requesting a couple of hand pies. Pointing the selection out and thanking the stall owner, he handed one off to Ivy and kept one for himself. They definitely smelled amazing, and they were still steaming slightly, freshly made.

“Mm… That I do.” Llewellyn responded with a raised brow, “But I always forget in the moment.” He added with a humorous tone. Yes, Llewellyn absolutely was the cat that never minded its own business and ended up in over. “And, even if I do, I rather like to keep the full phrase in mind.” But he nodded still as she said they’d spoken ‘here and there…’ That was… something. But Llewellyn had to wonder just what that meant. “Have you both been busy or…?”

Llewellyn supposed that was true, though. Better for the world to not know everything about a people who they might not think of kindly, sometimes secrets were safer… But he smiled, “Then ability to see better than I can at night aside, I would say you are still plenty mysterious.” He added with a smile, before finally moving to try to take a bite of pie.

Only to pause at the question. Humming a little, he waved a hand a bit. “I would certainly try if I thought it seemed necessary. I uh- dislike seeing friends at odds with each other.”

"They don't smell bad at least," she said as she took the one he handed over to her. They definitely smelled a bit better than they looked. Though that seemed to be the case with a lot of food.

"You forget more than in the moment," she said with the briefest flash of a smirk. "But satisfaction brought it back? In my case that's not a very pleasant thing to think about." Being brought back for her kind didn't have the greatest rewards. At least not in her opinion, though a lot of very stupid humans would argue that the power was reward enough despite what you lost. "Is anyone actually busy here?" Sure, they all had things they did to keep them occupied, but was any of it ever actually necessary? Or was it all just something they did as a way to distract themselves from the situation they were in.

"Mmm, I can't argue with that. It can be uncomfortable when friends are at odds." It was something she'd had some recent awkward experience with back home.

Llewellyn grinned a little. “I should hope not. That’s all part of the experience.” He commented with a thoughtful tilt of his head. Sure, they didn’t look fancy, but between the smell and taste, he thought the appearance could be forgiven. “The only thing they need is… a little ketchup.” Which he hadn’t thought of until taking a bite, but they were still delicious in their own way. The ketchup would have just added to it, in his opinion.

The response gets a half sheepish, half amused little chuckle. “Perhaps you have a point.” He responded, knowing she was indeed correct. He was who he was, though, and while he was doing a lot better than he used to with his rather pushy, nosey nature? It was still there, and it still got the better of him sometimes. Hard to not when he was concerned with seeing a friend happy.

Though the question gets a little half shrug, “I think that depends largely on the person and their motivations. Rhy and I have found ourselves rather busy of late, but we have… goals we’re working towards. So mm… we’ve been working a lot. Other people, perhaps less so, if they aren’t sure what they’re doing here or haven’t had reasons to push forward. Then there are those that I presume are busy with trying to figure out how to get home.”

Friends at odds always made for awkward experiences… Especially if you somehow got caught in the middle of it. “Exactly, so if I can assist by mediating? I would. Though I uh- rather hope that you’ll both stay on good terms.”

She frowned slightly and looked down at her food with slight disappointment. "Now that you've mentioned it I want ketchup." Wasn't that how it always went? Satisfied until you were reminded of how something could just be slightly better. It was a weird parallel for the life of a vampire too, but that was a thought she would be better served to keep to herself.

"Sometimes I wonder if most of the people here even want to go home." When she thought about it, she wasn't entirely sure she did. If she could just let herself get comfortable here then she'd have a lot more freedom here than back home. Not to mention the lack of her master and his grand plans for her. She shook her head and then looked over at him inquisitively. "What sort of goals?"

She sighed. "I couldn't see a reason for us to not stay on good terms. He's frustrating, but decent enough."

Llewellyn gave her a small apologetic frown, “It would be perfect, but for some reason, no one ever has it when you want it. I keep thinking it would, uh- be convenient if all stands offered it.” And yet they never did, unless it was a hot dog stand or something of that nature. They were still good, of course, it was just that they could be better with a little something extra.

“Mm… You already know my feelings about that, but I do believe there are more than a few people who are content to stay as well.” Not everyone, he was pretty sure, but some people. None of them really had a choice when it came to staying or going. These worlds were fickle like that… And he’d never figured out why people were brought or sent home when they were.

Her question gets an awkward smile. “Oh- um… We’ve been looking for a home to move into, for one thing. The apartments are nice and all, but… between the two of us and Pretzel starting to get bigger, we want something with more room and a little more suited to our tastes?” Llewellyn himself had never had a home before, he’d always lived in boarding houses for as long as he could remember. Having a space that was theirs, that they could really make their own…? It just sounded nice.

Her comment gets a little grin though, tone lightly joking as he responded. “That is quite a complimentary description of him.”

"Only Inderland ones offer it where I'm from. Humans have a thing against tomatoes." Which she still found more amusing than she probably should. But it wasn't exactly in her nature to be understanding about things.

"I do. Sometimes I agree with the sentiment. If I could just let myself relax." That was the problem though and she shook her head as she spoke. It wasn't something she should be admitting to anyone though. It was easier to just keep things to herself than it was to open up and share.

"Planning on settling down that much?" It wasn't really surprising in all honesty, she was pretty sure he'd spoken about it before to some extent. "I hope you're able to find something that fits your tastes. The apartments are smaller than what I'm used to myself."

She shook her head. "Don't tell him I said anything complimentary. It'll go to his head."

“Do they?” Llewellyn responded with a curious tone, glancing at her with a tilt of his head. “I wonder why. I don’t think that’s an issue where I’m from.” And he’d really always been partial to ketchup in particular, which was probably a little more frowned upon when it came to nicer food… But he liked what he liked, and he didn’t think much about it beyond that.

Llewellyn had noticed that she had a hard time with relaxing, or allowing herself to enjoy some possibilities. It was worrying, to say the least, but it wasn’t like he didn’t understand that. It had taken him quite some time to adjust to the idea himself. “Sometimes that’s easier said than done?” Most things were, of course. “Helps to have a reason to, and uh- the right distraction from the things that make it hard to relax.” Good friends, and Rhy had gone a long way for that in his experience, not that he didn’t relapse sometimes… And he was still prone to worrying at times.

“I suppose we are.” He ducked his head with a slightly pleased smile. He knew it sounded rather absurd. But they both agreed that it was something they wanted, and they were going to enjoy these opportunities together while they could. He hummed a little at her comment, “Thank you. We’ve narrowed it down quite a bit, so we’re hoping to have things worked out once things quiet down a little.” The celebration was keeping Rhy very busy, and Llewellyn was pleased his husband’s project had been so well received at the tailor shop.

“Are they?” He looked at Ivy again at the idea that the apartments were smaller than she was used to. “I’ve always um- lived in boarding houses, if I’m being honest. Never really had a proper home before. Renting a room to rest my head when I wasn’t working seemed like the most I needed in my world.” He’d practically convinced himself it was all he’d ever need back in those days. It was odd to look back on that and see how much had changed when limitations were removed from the equation.

He chuckled a little at that, “You have my word he won’t hear it from me, though he might like to hear it more from you than myself, anyway.” He added with a slight rise of his brow.

"The T4 Angel virus. It attached itself to genetically altered tomatoes and ended up killing more than a quarter of the human population. After that they developed a fear of tomatoes and genetic modification. Pretty much all research into that was stopped there." It seemed like a decent enough reason to be uneasy around them, but that didn't stop Ivy from getting a kick out of it. "The Turn happened after that." Said as if he should just know what that was.

"It's always easier said than done." At least in her opinion. "Reasons are what I struggle here. The way I did it back home wasn't always the best." There was hesitation in each word, clearly it wasn't something she was entirely comfortable with admitting. Even if her admission here was pretty vague. "I've tried here but I don't have anyone like Kist." Or her Master even, though even that thought brought her a ridiculous amount of shame.

"Mm, I'm glad you've narrowed it down. I hope it works out." There didn't seem to be anything that would stop them aside from actually picking what they really wanted. She chuckled. "The Tamwood family is old money. We're also the favored family of a very ancient Master vampire." Which meant they had their own money and his money as well. "Even after I left home I lived in a repurposed Church. I liked the irony." And the feeling of rebellion.

"What makes you think he'd like that?"

Llewellyn made a face at that, “Ah… Yes, I suppose in that case I could see why people would be rather put off of eating anything tomato based.” Food scares weren’t something he was entirely unfamiliar with, even if they never really stuck for him the way they did with others. Once something was deemed safe again, if he enjoyed it? He’d inevitably go back to it. Of course, he felt a little lost as she mentioned ‘The Turn’, as though he should know what it was. “And ‘The Turn,’ was…?” Slipped out without a chance to think that maybe it wasn’t something she wanted to explain, but it sounded rather important as far as her world went.

"How did you back home...?" Her vagueness wasn’t particularly helping him understand, of course, it only made him slightly more curious and perhaps a touch concerned. “Perhaps you just need to keep trying?” Who knew, maybe this Kist would show up one day. “And until then, you know there are those of us who’d be happy to distract you with other things… Even trying new things might surprise you.”

He offered a small smile, “Thank you, I’m rather hopeful myself.” Which was always a nice feeling. It wasn’t one that had come easily to him before all this. But he tilted his head slightly as Ivy explained, taking a couple of bites of the pie. “Ah, so your family is wealthy.” Stated as a fact, not an admonishment or judgement. He understood quite well that money didn’t always mean happiness or an absence of tragedy. It was just an understanding that slipped out, making the whole apartment being smaller than she was used to making more sense. His brow rose slightly. “A church certainly would be more space, though I can’t see it being a particularly comfortable place to live without some… renovating? The windows in them, though, always have nice lighting.” He offered some scattered musings, clearly putting more thought into it than necessary, as usual.

Her question gets a curious smile. “Because I am pretty sure I know Harry fairly well by now, as confusing as he can be about some things.” That wasn’t exactly an answer, but he knew the man would rather hear compliments from Ivy than himself. Why else had Harry been so nervous and careful about flowers at that festival last year? Unless things had changed drastically between then and now, Llewellyn was reasonably certain he would like that Ivy had some vaguely positive thoughts about him.

"The virus didn't affect Inderlanders, only humans. With their race in peril my kind made the choice to come out and make ourselves known. We'd always been there, the things humans were afraid of in the dark, but when your kind outnumbered ours it was easier to let people keep thinking we weren't real. The Turn was when that changed and when everything changed. Now everyone knows vampires, witches, werewolves and more are real and always have been. Our people have either integrated or taken over various governments and law enforcement organizations." It was probably more of an explanation than he actually wanted but she wasn't sure how to condense it anymore than she had. She'd never been great at telling stories. "The IS, Inderland Security, is basically our version of the FBI. The human FBI isn't too happy about having to work with us. Or for us." For us was more often the case. "Vampires in particular are good at taking government roles. Comes with the lack of a soul." Her lips twisted upwards in something of a smirk. Was it a joke? Sort of.

The expression on her face darkened with his question and averted her eyes a bit too quickly. "Blood partners. Kisten and I grew up together and understood what we were made to be. I had others too." It was awkward to admit to, especially when she wasn't sure how he'd react. "We struggle with...control and it can be ...overwhelming if all you do is drink orange juice." Why was this so embarrassing to admit to?

"How did you back home...?" Her vagueness wasn’t particularly helping him understand, of course, it only made him slightly more curious and perhaps a touch concerned. “Perhaps you just need to keep trying?” Who knew, maybe this Kist would show up one day. “And until then, you know there are those of us who’d be happy to distract you with other things… Even trying new things might surprise you.” She grasped at the change in topic and latched onto it with more enthusiasm than she probably should have let herself show.

"Very," she gave a chuckle that still had a distinct amount of unease to it. "Old money has certain standards and we're about as old as they come. Piscary was alive when the pyramids were being made." At least that was the story he told and her family had been tied to him a very long time. "Mmm, don't worry, I did a lot of remodeling. Had to make the kitchen good for a witch and the belltower good for my owl."

She laughed and shook her head. "It sounds like you suspect something specific."

Llewellyn listened carefully, that all made… A lot of sense. “I see… That must have been quite the decision to be known by the world in that situation…” He shook his head a little, he could very easily imaging the downsides to them being known by humanity in general. They could barely be nice to each other, let alone those who weren’t human. Meanwhile, Llewellyn was quite sure some of the scariest things in the darkness were other humans themselves. At least… That had been his personal experience.

Shoulders rising lightly, Llewellyn offered a wry smile. “I haven’t had as much experience with government agencies as uh- my colleague Detective Murdoch, but they don’t seem to be particularly good at working together, so that doesn’t seem too surprising.” The detective paused though at her joke, brows furrowing lightly as he was definitely trying to figure out if it was a joke or not… His range for humour could be hit and miss.

It was hard to miss her shift in expression, though, a moment later. Harder still to miss the fact that her eyes darted away. This was… Definitely a topic she wasn’t really fond of talking about. “O-oh…” He mumbled, understanding what she was explaining fairly quickly at least. It was an oddly subdued tone when he responded, and one should be proud of him for realizing this might not be a topic to push to dig into too deeply. “That sounds um… Rather complicated.” He responded, giving her the opportunity to not explain further should she decide not to. Though it was hard to not wonder if that made things here difficult for Ivy. Even if she could eat, as they were now… What about blood?

Yes, she definitely seemed… Well, not necessarily more comfortable with the shift in topic, but somewhat easier to speak of. If anything, the idea of renovating a church to live in sounded pretty darn interesting. If made comfortable, the lighting from the windows and the acoustics? Probably fantastic. Though… Detective Murdoch would probably pose quite a few opinions about that. Luckily, he wasn’t here to judge. “So you’ve made it comfortable then, that’s good… Wouldn’t mind seeing something like that one day.” He offered a curious rise of his brow, clearly wondering what that all might look like. He focused on the hand pie for a moment, dividing his attention as his stomach demanded it. Though… He knew about her witch friend, but an owl? “You have a pet owl??”

He shrugged again in an exaggerated manner. “I’m a detective. I’m supposed to notice things, aren’t I? Especially if they’re mm… Obvious.” So yes, he suspected very specific things of Harry, as much as he did about her.

"I'm certain it was a lot for humans to take in," she chuckled. "Especially when they had to accept a vampire president." That wasn't something she could really blame them for struggling with. It'd all come pretty fast and they'd realized quickly just how small their knowledge of the world had been.

"Are humans ever good at working with each other?" She offered her own half-upturned smirk at that. Not that her own kind were much better at getting along. The smile quickly fell off at his change in tone. There was a sense of shame that threatened to fully overtake her and she cast her eyes away. "Complicated is one way to put it. It's...hard being somewhere without them." It was something she was definitely hesitant to admit to but she managed.

"I like to think it's at least functional." Which was a main selling point for her. "I have several companion owls," she corrected. "They're excellent hunters, good for helping on Runs." Every supernatural creature needed some sort of familiar, right?

"A talented detective it would seem. Harry likes excitement and danger." She said it as if that must be the reason he might like her. "And trying to be a hero."

Llewellyn could well imagine how difficult humans would have been with that large of a shift in their worldviews. He knew several people himself who probably wouldn’t take it well… Sad as it was; it was a point proven time and again. People were resistant to change, and absolutely horrible about those who didn’t fit into society the way the majority did. Otherwise, his life would have been pretty different… And his parents wouldn’t have felt like they had to change their names after moving.

“Humans are very rarely good at it… I’ve been lucky to know some that make good teams, but…” He shrugged lightly. “Most of the time, they’re particularly bad at it.” He added with a wry smile. It was unfortunate, but true enough. Even he was on thin ice with a few people at his station house back home for a few particular reasons.

Several owls? That was really rather interesting. “I do recall reading about how effective they are at hunting, but I never considered them as companions for someone before. Though, to be fair, I never even considered having a pet before Pretzel was dropped in my lap.” Though it was true, supernatural beings and familiars did tend to go hand in hand if the stories were true. “Do they make good companions? Or uh- do you just keep them for their hunting skills?” Listen, he was curious for many reasons, and owls were kind of neat to imagine someone having around.

He had to grin a little, ‘talented detective,’ yes… He was that, at least when it came to some kinds of cases. “I can’t deny that he clearly enjoys heroics… He at least seems somewhat good at that.” Hey, the man had stopped him from getting murdered by a hollow person last year. “But while he enjoys excitement, and I suppose danger by default, there’s probably more to it than that.” Because, yes, he noticed the way she’d said it.

"Even ghouls maintain that trait," she paused for a second. "Humans that get infected with the vampire virus by either a pureblood." It was a brief explanation but she hoped it got the point across. Ghoul tended to be a more derogatory word for it, but then again the 'official' term wasn't much better: low-blood vampire. They were humans that hoped to gain power via the virus, some thought they'd be gifted with immortality eventually. Some were just addicted to the neurotoxins that came from a vampire's bite. It all depended.

"They make great companions. They're pretty intelligent, loyal, and being excellent hunters is a bonus "They're also good at noticing intruders. Though sometimes they mistake the pixies for intruders." Which wasn't entirely her owls fault. Most people did think of pixies as pests.

"Maybe. No way to say for certain, I suppose."

“Ah… Yes, I think you mentioned that once.” He commented absentmindedly, considering that. “I suppose there are some things that never change, even after you do.” He commented with a small shake of his head. Llewellyn at least could imagine that being changed from something other than human probably wouldn’t really change certain things about him. Although an adjustment might change some views and ways of looking at things… But that was a weird rabbit hole to go down, and he wasn’t sure he was in the mood for that today.

So it didn’t take much to get him to shift his focus entirely off that subject and onto the owls. Because, really, that was also fairly interesting in its own way… And more pleasant. “Yes, sometimes I’m not sure Pretzel would warn us of intruders so much as try to befriend them- so I expect an owl would probably be quite good in that respect. Probably spot them sooner than most too…” He offered a light smile. “I presume you have names for them?” What did one name an owl? Llewellyn certainly wasn’t particularly good at naming things if his dog was anything to go by.

Humming a little, he had to ask though… “So if they uh- mistake pixies, are they as small as the stories say, or is that an inaccuracy?” He knew a few stories, mostly from George or random books he’d skimmed or read through.

Her comment gets a very… Well, uncertain look. “Have you um… Not considered trying what I suggested, the communicating at a distance with the phones to see if he’s the same or not?” It had seemed like a decent enough idea, and really… It seemed a bit sad that she always had to wonder if something was genuine or not.

"At least there's not much concern for intruders here. Less people for him to potentially befriend instead of notify." From what she'd seen of Pretzel the dog seemed quick to be friendly to just about anyone. "I do. Nothing as good as Pretzel though." She gave a little smirk and then shrugged. "They're about the size that you'd expect. We work with one and his family lives in our garden. They have large families. But Jenks can be helpful." Mostly.

She bit down on her lip. "I've tried a bit. He's exactly the same." And yet for some reason she seemed a bit annoyed by that.

“Yes… That’s true, which I confess I feel rather lucky for.” He responded with a small shake of his head. He had yet to see Pretzel shy away from or growl at. Made him a little worried sometimes the hound would try to befriend someone he absolutely shouldn’t. But on the other hand… “I think I’d be rather concerned if we ever did meet someone he didn’t like at all.” Because how bad would they have to be for that kind of reaction?

He smiled a little at the description. So some things were as the stories said, at least to a point. Interesting, but also kind of nice to hear about that part of Ivy’s life. That sounded like a nice arrangement, after all. Giving a good home to the family of this ‘Jenks’ for their help. “Interesting neighbors, by the sounds of it? What kind of work does this ‘Jenks’ do with you?”

Llewellyn definitely raised a brow at that. Clearly, the detective was torn. He was glad to hear that she had taken his advice, but a bit concerned that she was still feeling reluctant to accept things… “You say that like it’s a bad thing, isn’t it good that you have some proof to back up that he’s being genuine with you?”

"At least that's one thing you can say he'll warn you about, even if it's an accidental warning." If he didn't like someone then everyone should probably know to not interact with them.

"He helps us with the agency. So, technically he's our third partner. His wife also knows a lot about healing and that's come in handy." Unfortunately. "Trouble finds Rachel. Or maybe she finds it." It was that one, Ivy was certain of it.

She heaved a sigh. "That doesn't make me trust myself anymore."

“That’s uh- true enough.” He responded with a small smile, whether Pretzel meant to warn him or not... It was always hard to miss people around. The dog was always rather alert, after all. If he did find someone he didn’t like, it would definitely be something to investigate and perhaps warn people about...

Llewellyn shook his head a little, “Sometimes I think there are those of us who, uh- attract it rather like a magnet, despite best efforts. It’s handy to have someone who knows about healing and taking care of injuries, though.” Goodness knew it was better than a quick patch-job, which he had already had to do once here with Rhy’s help.

Making a face, the detective shook his head. “I suppose I understand that... But maybe you should work out a way to try to, small steps to... Test the waters. You owe it to yourself to try, even if it takes time.”

February Logs!

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